General election latest: Conservatives attack Starmer's 'stamina' as PM shuns football team to campaign; Labour hit back over Tory's pub visit (2024)

Five days into the general election campaign, the battle for the right-wing vote is already playing out in full view.

Bringing back a form of National Service is a policy targeted squarely at traditional Tory voters and crucially those who are thinking of backing the party’s right-wing rival – Reform UK.

Broadbrush polling on the concept shows many in this group approve.

That said, dig into the detail and the picture is more complex – as one pollster put it "you wouldn’t bet your house on polling like this, particularly if your house was Number 10 Downing Street".

What’s not in doubt is that this eye-catching announcement has changed the campaign conversation after a bumpy start for Rishi Sunak.

But just as the prime minister starts to get on the front foot, a reminder of the threat he faces from the right.

Entering the election in a characteristically controversial way, Reform president Nigel Farage offended many with suggestions that many Muslims did not agree with “British values”.

The ex-UKIP leader is not chasing a parliamentary seat this time round, but this intervention shows he’s not afraid to roll the pitch for his party colleagues in the most inflammatory fashion.

There have been numerous responses to the government's National Service pledge - but one minister and Tory MP has been "liking" a series of posts on X which are very critical of it.

Steve Baker, the MP for Wycombe, previously was a member of the RAF.

Among his likes are one post calling the idea of National Service "totally moronic", another highlighting Downing Street previously denying such plans existing, and one about a "devastating takedown" of National Service last week by a defence minister - you can see more in the 3.12pm post.

He also reposted an X post highlighting the same defence minister's words.

Rishi Sunak has posted a TikTok video - the first his party have put on the short-form video platform.

In it, Mr Sunak explains his proposed National Service policy to younger voters, addressing those who tend to use the platform.

However, this comes despite calls within the party to ban the TikTok platform from this UK.

The likes of Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Alicia Kearns, and Tim Loughton have all raised concerns about TikTok due to its association with China and concerns about what is being done with users' data.

It was only last week that a Tory MP and government minister was criticising the concept of National Service.

And yet it is now a policy his party wants to introduce.

Responding to a written question in the House of Commons, defence minister and Conservative MP Andrew Murrison said on Thursday: "If potentially unwilling National Service recruits were to be obliged to serve alongside the professional men and women of our Armed Forces, it could damage morale, recruitment and retention and would consume professional military and naval resources.

"If, on the other hand, National Service recruits were kept in separate units, it would be difficult to find a proper and meaningful role for them, potentially harming motivation and discipline.

"For all these reasons, there are no current plans for the restoration of any form of National Service."

defence and security correspondent Deborah Haynes heard from one Ministry of Defence insider: "This is a policy surprise to me. I haven't seen it discussed in the Ministry of Defence."

It is worth pointing out at this point there is a difference between the Minister of Defence and the government machine, and the political campaign being run by the Conservative Party.

Yesterday, Rishi Sunak came under attack for his lack of campaigning - as he held meetings in his Yorkshire constituency before flying to London and campaigning there.

Today, the Tories have turned fire on Sir Keir Starmer - with the Labour leader not being seen at all in public today.

Rather, shadow cabinet members Liz Kendall and Rachel Reeves were seen out and about.

Mr Sunak was campaigning in North London, meanwhile, although he did not give any interviews.

A senior Conservative party source said: "Yesterday the PM hit the campaign trail two hours before Sir Keir surfaced.

"Today there is no sign of Starmer whatsoever and we are just four days into the campaign.

"Campaigns are tough, tiring things and it's understandable that he may be weary. But being prime minister is a 24/7 job which requires stamina."

A Labour spokesperson hit back: "Keir and the Labour Party are working round the clock, enjoying taking our message of change to the country.

"We were out speaking with voters across the country within half an hour of the election being called.

"Meanwhile the PM has been holed up with his aides at his house, the Tory Party chair spent yesterday afternoon at a pub in Westminster and the cabinet appear to have completely disappeared."

Sky political correspondentDarren McCaffrey is in South Cambridgeshire, covering the Liberal Democrat's election campaign.

He points that the party's battle bus - Yellow Hammer one - is going to be used to "break down the Blue Wall", which is the area in the South of England in which many Conservative MPs currently sit.

Darren says this campaign is very different to 2019, when the Lib Dems claimed they would win 200 seats in the wake of Brexit.

"This is a much more considered campaign, a much more targeted campaign, of trying to win seats like South Cambridgeshire," he says.

It is a seat which has been "rock-solid" Conservative for a long time, but boundary changes mean the Lib Dems reckon they're in with a chance.

Darren says this seat - and similar ones in areas like Surrey - are the ones Sir Ed will be targeting in the next six weeks.

They will do this using a message known as ABC - anyone but the Conservatives - where they will encourage people to vote the Tories out.

This is being done in the hopes that supporters of parties like Labour and the Greens will back them in areas where the Lib Dems are the main challengers.

Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, is launching his party's general election campaign battle bus in Cambridgeshire.

Sir Ed reveals the bus is called "Yellow Hammer 1".

He then tells campaigners that the election is the opportunity to "kick this out of touch Conservative government out of office" - and a chance "to elect great Liberal Democrat MPs".

The Liberal Democrat leader says people "are struggling with the cost of living with high energy bills, with mortgages and high rents with high food bills".

He adds: "And they're fed up of the Conservatives not helping them.

"They're worried about loved ones waiting for hours for ambulances, days and weeks for a GP appointment, months for urgent cancer treatment.

"And they're fed up of the Conservatives having plunged our NHS and care into crisis.

"They're angry with the water companies being allowed to pump their filthy sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches.

"And they're fed up with Conservative MPs voting to allow that to continue.

"And they want change, and they want the Conservatives out."

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, has been doing a campaign visit from West Yorkshire this afternoon.

She gives what will shortly become her recognisable stump speech - commenting on how it is "time to turn the page on 14 years of chaos and decline" with the Conservatives.

She adds that economic growth is "on its knees" - but Labour has a plan "to turn things around".

Ms Reeves highlights there have been five prime ministers, seven chancellors and 12 plans for growth since 2010.

The Labour front bencher adds that she will create a national wealth fund to invest in jobs and industry, with a "modern industrial strategy that businesses can get behind".

She pledges to "never play fast and loose with the public finances".

Sky News has been speaking to people from across the political spectrum about the announcement today on National Service plans being proposed by the Conservatives.

Paul Goodman, the former editor of the Conservative Home website, says: "Well, this is the start of the election campaign proper.

"I think we're now getting to the point where the two parties will begin to unveil their policies - and I would expect more from the Conservatives this week."

On the policy itself, Mr Goodman suggests there is a lot of support for some form of National Service, and this was researched by a former thinktank director who is now in government.

This suggests it has been "under wraps for some time" as a plan.

Meanwhile, Tom Belger, the editor of Labour List, says the plan is an "unfunded gimmick".

He adds that the government has had 14 years to come up with ideas.

But he conceded that Labour should not be ruling out a version of the pledge "per se" - but maybe should be "pushing back" on the "fixation of the armed forces".

Rishi Sunak grew up in Southampton and supports the city's football team.

He went to his team's play-off semi-final as they fight for promotion from the Championship.

But he will not be at Wembley today as the Saints take on Leeds United, with the final slot in the Premier League next season up for grabs.

Instead, it is understood that he will be meeting voters in the South East, the PA news agency has been told.

Sources close to the prime minister said he will still be paying attention to the score of the match, which kicks off at 3pm.

Pictures showed Mr Sunak was campaigning in North West London, within a few miles of Wembley Stadium, on the Sunday.